AVENGEMENT
by Souljahette
Summary: BK fic, Battousai has killed Koshijiro Kamiya. He sees a raven-haired beauty and feels bad for killing her father. Kaoru - an ex-assassin wants to murder him - to avenge her father's death. What can she do? What does the Shinsengumi have to do with her?
1. Prologue

AVENGEMENT  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own RK . . . what else is new?  
  
A/N: My Christmas present to you all - a new fic, now I'll be juggling two RK fics and one FF7. Ah well, that's life for you. This is a Battousai/Kaoru fic . . . no B/K moments for a very long time though. Hope you people like.  
  
Prologue  
  
His long red hair, tied back into a high ponytail. Amber eyes glittered menacingly. He wielded his katana mercilessly - he was known as the Hitokiri Battousai. He was a silent assassin, the most deadly of them all - Choshu's top assassin.  
  
"Koshijiro Kamiya, I am here for your life," was his whispered invitation to death.  
  
Koshijiro said nothing; he drew his katana from its sheath and got into a defensive stance.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Minutes later, the sound of a sword splitting flesh, tendon and bone, broke through the still evening air at the campsite. A scream was heard immediately after. This awoke the sleepers up to a sudden start.  
  
The red-haired assassin rose from his battle crouch and flicked the blood from his blade. He wiped the blade and slid it into its sheath. He stealthily disappeared into the shadows.  
  
'One more life . . . a step closer to the ultimate goal,' he thought as he returned to his quarters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Seconds later, a young, raven-haired girl, clad in a light blue gi and a white hakama flew out of a tent. She ran towards the sound of the scream. To her horror, she saw her father's blood flowing freely like a river.  
  
"No! Father!" she screamed. The tears ran down her face as she ran to the dying man's side. "You can't leave me Father! Not now!"  
  
She sobbed uncontrollably; the tears' flow would not stop. She cradled her father's head in her lap.  
  
"Kaoru-chan . . . you must go . . . I am fortunate to be talking to you now . . . avenge my death and live an honorable life . . . it was the Hitokiri Battousai," with those final words, he died in his daughter's lap.  
  
She screamed.  
  
Her eyes misted over, the normally cheerful and bright blue eyes gleamed to a deep shade of sapphire - almost indigo. Slowly, she stood up, fisting her blood soaked gi. She shook with rage and tears.  
  
"I will avenge my father honorably, even if it means staining my hands with your filthy blood Hitokiri Battousai. I assure you, your death is not far, even if it means reverting to being an assassin myself; I will kill you," the girl said, her voice was frigid.  
  
Somewhere, deep in the forest, a young hitokiri felt guilt. He had only gotten a glimpse of the girl; she was beautiful and by the looks of it, he had just slain her last family member.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"No! Father!" she screamed. The tears ran down her face as she ran to the dying man's side. "You can't leave me Father! Not now!"  
  
She sobbed uncontrollably; the tears' flow would not stop. She cradled her father's head in her lap.  
  
"Kaoru-chan . . . you must go . . . I am fortunate to be talking to you now . . . avenge my death and live an honorable life . . . it was the Hitokiri Battousai," with those final words, he died in his daughter's lap.  
  
She screamed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
He had just caused the beautiful creature, a lifetime of endless pain. He was a monster. It never occurred to him, how much pain he had caused many people, until tonight that is. Of course, he had been through a lot as a child and had been subject to much torture; but he couldn't help but feel it for ruining another's happiness - especially someone as beautiful as her.  
  
Sometimes, he wished that someone would just kill him and let him be sent to the afterlife, but that, that was impossible - he was just too lost in his acute instincts for just anyone to kill him. Maybe 'she' would, she was livid with him. Many people were - he had ruined the lives of thousands.  
  
Then it hit him, "What is a girl as young and as beautiful as her doing at an enemy camp? She's not some prostitute; that would be impossible she looks too innocent"  
  
A/N: So short, yes I know. It's just a prologue. Give me reviews and I'll have the next chapter up and running as soon as possible. Oh, can someone explain to me the italics and bold on ff.net? I'm sick of using all these little punctuation marks and symbols.  
  
*~*~*~*~Click That Button*~*~*~*  
  
Black Chiney 


	2. Chapter One

AVENGEMENT  
  
Disclaimer: Nope . . . don't own RK  
  
A/N: Good, you guys like the idea. No more waiting, here it is:  
  
Chapter One  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Then it hit him, "What is a girl as young and as beautiful as her doing at an enemy camp? She's not some prostitute; that would be impossible she looks too innocent"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaoru Kamiya slowly rose from her position, her strong arms laden with her father's body. Her tears had ceased to flow; there was only a cold blue glint in her eyes. Her eyes did not betray her as they had done on many previous occasions. They were devoid of any emotion.  
  
Her goal was to avenge her father's death; she would avenge many innocent ones in the process. Her goal was set: KILL THE BATTOUSAI.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
She was only sixteen; she wielded a bokken as a toddler and a katana as a preteen. She had killed at the age of thirteen and had become an assassin, her father's wishes to support his beliefs in right from wrong. She had become assistant master at the tender age of ten years old. She grew up as a boy would, as a boy who aspired to become a samurai.  
  
She was not in any obvious way, weak. Her popular nickname was 'Masked Murderer,' they called her that because no one had ever seen her face. She chose to wear a black mask whenever she went on missions. No one knew that the Masked Murderer was a woman.  
  
Koshijiro Kamiya wanted the Kamiya name to go down in history, to show honor for the Kamiya name by contributing to the dawn of a new era. Kaoru would have to play her role in the bloody massacre. He taught her well, she was skilled with the katana and its companion sword - the wakizachi. Although the raven-haired beauty loathed killing people, she constantly repeated an axiom to herself: "It's for the innocent ones"  
  
She was responsible for many unknown assassinations of wealthy and greedy people from higher-class communities in Japan - the ones who assisted in the financing of the bloody war. She loathed their greedy all-for-nothing frauds and found it difficult not to take pleasure in murdering them.  
  
However, the girl had decided to stop killing. She felt it was wrong to take a life, no matter how terrible the person as a human being was. Everyone deserved to live - or so she thought . . . until now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Koshijiro Kamiya's cremation ceremony, many gave sincere condolences to the girl. She was all alone now, all alone to her thoughts, beliefs and actions. However, not a soul saw her shed a tear. Instead, she kept the cold passive look on her now-hardened facial features. Many a person said that she wasn't in any way concerned about her father's passing and was an ungrateful miserable excuse for a young woman. Kaoru would grit her teeth and say 'if only you knew my thoughts.' Inwardly, Kaoru cried like there would be no tomorrow, but she couldn't put that face forward. It would only make her weaker.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaoru Kamiya diligently trained in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, her father's traditional style. Often, at night, she would train by a secluded river. Her father had showed her this place when they had just arrived in Kyoto. It was free of blood, nature's beauty shone through it.  
  
She made her down to the river, for a few minutes, she stared at the serene picture that the full moon made on the rippling water. She breathed deeply, taking in the familiar surroundings, clearing her mind; clearing it so she could focus on her training.  
  
Kaoru fisted the rough material of her hakama and ground her teeth. She allowed herself to remember that dreaded night her father was murdered by Battousai. Kaoru allowed herself to remember the tragedy of it all, the tears she shed, the blood - there was so much of it, and last but not least, her vow to kill him.  
  
Mentally, she kicked herself - she was supposed to be clearing her mind, not confusing it anymore than it already was. She sucked a sharp intake of air. Her adrenalin was pumping now, the desire to make his death slow and painful, fuelled her muscles.  
  
Battousai had caused her a lifetime of unbearable pain; he had done it to many others too. He would die by her hand; she would end the pain he had caused others and bring peace to her father's soul.  
  
She drew her katana with deadly precision, targeting an imaginary opponent, slicing off his imaginary head. With a quick back flip, she twisted the sword to another opponent, this time; she ran the sword through his gut. One thought alone ran through her mind: KILL BATTOUSAI.  
  
If it were reality, the guts spilled could make even a killing machine retch. However, that would never happen to Kaoru. She was ruthless, cold - a murderer, a feared assassin. She was a shadow assassin, no one knew her face - if anyone saw her face; he would never live to tell a soul that she was a woman.  
  
Sensitive hearing picked up soft footfalls, she sensed for any battle qi. There was one, it wasn't particularly powerful but anything was a possibility. This person could prove to be a threat. She sheathed the katana and exhaled softly. Slowly, the assassin crouched down at the riverbank, her hand at her waist, ready to pull out her katana.  
  
Her form was a mere silhouette, silver in the gleam of the moonlight. Long, raven hair, pulled into a high ponytail, gi and hakama, the katana - she looked like a samurai poised for battle.  
  
She waited.  
  
A/N: Aha, a cliffy; I guess you're wondering who this 'shadow' is - well, to tell you the honest truth, I don't know who it is yet (don't you just hate it when the author doesn't know who is who yet?) Well, suggestions and comments are welcome.  
  
*~*~*~*~Click That Button*~*~*~*  
  
Black Chiney 


	3. Chapter Two

AVENGEMENT

Disclaimer: Nope . . . I do not own RK. No matter how much I wish and wish it ain't mine.

A/N: To my reviewers: **YOU GUYS ROCK! **Thank you **SO** much for reading my fic and supporting my idea.

I made a change in Kaoru's assassin name; since she is a shadow assassin, I decided to make her have a whole ton of aliases. These are "Shin no Kage," which means Shadow of Death, "Hito ga Kaowani," which basically means "one without a face. Shortened terms that I may use for "Hito ga Kaowani" would be "Kaowani" or "Kaonai." "Masked Murderer" is a more popular assassin name but she prefers Shin no Kage. A major thanks goes out to Chiki-san, who gave me the Japanese translations.

Warning: Has some killing and swearing. Don't like killing and swearing? Don't read it.

Chapter Two

~*~*~*~*~

_Sensitive hearing picked up soft footfalls, she sensed for any battle qi. There was one, it wasn't particularly powerful but anything was a possibility. This person could prove to be a threat. She sheathed the katana and exhaled softly. Slowly, the assassin crouched down at the riverbank, her hand at her waist, ready to pull out her katana._

_  Her form was a mere silhouette, silver in the gleam of the moonlight. Long, raven hair, pulled into a high ponytail, gi and hakama, the katana – she looked like a samurai poised for battle._

_She waited._

~*~*~*~*~

Kaoru adjusted her wrist guards and clenched her sword.

Bottomless sapphire eyes studied the figure – unbeknownst to her presence. The unsuspecting fool didn't sense her qi – the qi she had partially hidden.

  The brawny and scarred man let his already weak guard down. If Kaoru took pleasure in brutally murdering random beings, the idiot wouldn't be puffing nonchalantly at his cigarette.

  Seeing the tempting sight of the white stalk of nicotine, whet her appetite for one herself. She had taken to smoking as a temporary means of sedation after her father's assassination. Kaoru flung her craving for the cigarette, deep down back to where it had come from.

  She relaxed a little, after sizing up the man. He was rather beefy, making him slower; his weapons were long manriki chains. She almost laughed at the silly fact that his weapon made it very easy for him to be caught in them. Her hand however, never left the hilt of her sword.

  Kaoru decided to come out from her position. The petite girl swiftly and silently vanished from her spot by the river. Seconds later, she appeared behind the large man, her face hidden since her head was inclined downwards.

  The mammoth idiot brushed off the thought that someone was actually behind him. He thought that it was just the rustling of leaves. Ironically, a very experienced assassin was tailing the unsuspecting fool. He decided to turn around anyway, to ensure that he was completely alone.

To his amusement, he saw a short figure behind him.

"What's a little _shrimp_ like you doing out so late at night? Shouldn't you be home crying to your mommy, eh little _boy_?" he asked, trying to look and sound intimidating.

"I am not a puny orange crustacean. It is not late. I have no parents. What I'm doing out here is none of your business _and I do __not cry," Kaoru's cold voice cut through the crisp evening air like a hot knife through butter._

Deciding long ago, to play the role as a member of the dominant gender, she stuck to it.

"Ha! You're a riot kid, a kid your age doesn't go crying home to his mommy. What a joke! Get out of my way," the man said, laughing at Kaoru.

Kaoru smirked, "I think you should be the one crying to the female member of your procreation, plus, _you're_ the one invading _my_ privacy. Get out of my face"

He saw her katana, brushing it off as an inferior weapon, he spoke arrogantly, "Feisty aren't you? Let's see what you can do with that little sword you have there," the man said, amused at the last sentence Kaoru had said.

The man spat out his cigarette. He swung a manriki around, planning to chain _him_ up. The brawny man lashed out with the chains.

She swiftly jumped to the side, evading the attack with ease.

_'Pathetic,'_ she thought

"I see you have the sense to run. Well guess what kid, running ain't gonna get you too far. I kill inferior kids like the one I see before me," he said, referring to her in the third person. He swung the chains around again and lashed out with them.

  Kaoru swiftly dodged all his _attempts_ to hit her. Darting around at amazing speed, the man was chained up in his own two weapons as a result of swinging the chains around in _attempt_ to hit the assassin.

"Inferior? You dare call me, Shin no Kage an inferior kid? You dare, think lowly of my sword? Come, let me show you why they call me Shin no Kage, my sword will taste your blood tonight. You will die by my hand Akamatsu" Kaoru whispered her invitation to his death coldly.

How she had known his name, Akamatsu would never know. But then again, an assassin always has his assets and sources.

She drew her sword in faster than the blink of an eye. It was at his throat, the sharp edge teasing the delicate skin.

"Sh-Shin no Kage . . . I beg of y-you, spare my life. I-I didn't mean it. R-really – I didn't," the oversized fool stammered, trembling in fear of the infamous Shadow of Death.

"Akamatsu, Akamatsu, Akamatsu . . . Never saw that one coming ne? An innocent little boy, which is what you think I am, ne? Wrong! Fucking idiot, you think I do not know what you are? You really underestimate me? A disgrace to all assassins, murdering women and children to please your bloodlust, raping innocent young girls; you are a fucking disgrace. I will put an end to you," Kaoru said, slicing his throat with a slight shift of her blade.

A slight trickle of blood ran down the side of his neck.

The man gasped at the sudden pain he felt. He did similar attacks to previous assignments. Never once had he been in this predicament, now he knew the pain he gave others.

"To clear something up, the legendary Shin no Kage is neither a man nor boy; Shin no Kage is a woman. I'll see you in hell," Kaoru said, pulling the sword's edge away from his throat, only to run its tip through his Adam's apple and quickly deliver a powerful kick to his bleeding throat. With a twist of her foot, she simply stated, "Goodbye"

He fell to the ground, staring up at ice blue eyes, the ice blue eyes of the legendary hitokiri, Shin no Kage.

  A look of shock glazed over his eyes right before he died. The Masked Murderer, Shin no Kage, Hito ga Kaowani is a woman. A woman had defeated him, Akamatsu the assassin. Even a murderer as stupid as himself, couldn't help but feel ashamed that a woman had crushed his reputation – his already useless status in the assassin hierarchy. The woman, who had killed countless numbers of his much more skilled colleagues, had now taken his life.

He died, ashamed of his worthless role of an assassin in the lower category of the assassin hierarchy.

Kaoru flicked the blood from her sword.

  She swiftly dug through the man's pockets and found a box of matches and cigarettes. A small jar of sake stood beside his lifeless form. She took the cigarettes and matches out and lifted the large, dead body effortlessly from the ground, and brought it to a spot further up the riverbank, a place people were more likely to visit.

  The assassin poured the sake onto the body. She put a cigarette between her lips and lit it. Without turning around, she lit another match and tossed it onto the body, which burst into flames on contact with the match. She tossed the remaining white stalks of nicotine onto the smoldering body and without a word, walked away.

(A/N: I do not know if this was done in the Bakamatsu era and I did not have any time to research on it, but I thought it was kinda cool so I put it in. Please do not flame me for it and be understanding that I have things to do other than write fanfiction, as much as I would love to write all the time, life has its vicissitudes)

Not much distance away, brown eyes watched the scene unfold before his eyes.

_'I must have the Shin no Kage join Choshu,"_ was the thought that flashed through Katsura Kogoro's mind as he saw the raven-haired assassin disappear into the shadows . . .

A/N: Yes, that is the end of this chapter . . . too short? Go deal with it – just kidding. Seriously life isn't exactly the best right now for me and I don't have as much free time to type my story as I wish. Reviewing would be nice, I hope you liked this chapter. It was fun to write; I hope the language wasn't too harsh.  I doubt that in that era such words existed though. Anyway, I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as time and energy permits me to do so. Thanks for reading my fic . . . 

*~*~*~*~Click That Button*~*~*~*

Black Chiney


	4. Chapter Three

AVENGEMENT

Disclaimer: I do not own. You may not sue. That said; here is new chapter.

A/N: Your reviews made my day. The responses are at the bottom of the chapter and I hope you will like it. Did anybody wonder who the 'shadow' was in the prologue? I hope that Akamatsu wasn't a disappointment to you ^^ I used him because he's a big, cocky, arrogant, idiot who's too full of himself to realize how weak he is. Umm . . . I am having a problem understanding the entire concept of the Bakufu, Ishin Shishi, the Tokugawa era and other important aspects that are in the subject area of Japanese history, can someone please IM/email me and explain it to me? As far as I understand, the Ishin and Choshu are siding together, fighting against Bakufu, which the Shinsengumi supports. I do not know if this is correct because even though I research on it, it is still very confusing because I haven't seen all of 'Samurai X,' thanks for the support! Oh, and by the way, a lot information on Shinsengumi characters will be shown in this and chapters in the future; anyway, chapter three cominatcha!

Chapter Three

~*~*~*~*~

_'I must have the Shin no Kage join Choshu,'_ _was the thought that flashed through Katsura Kogoro's mind as he saw the raven-haired assassin disappear into the shadows._

_~*~*~*~*~_

**Hitokiri Battousai's POV**

_'Damn! I can't stop thinking about her. Why?'_ Kenshin cursed in his mind as he executed a somewhat angry Ryu Tsui Sen.

"My, my Himura-san, touchy aren't we today?" A sly voice interrupted Kenshin's train of thought.

"What do you want *Kawakami?" Kenshin barked at his fellow Choshu assassin with a click of his katana.

_Note: *Kawakami Gensai was Kenshin's real life assassin colleague. He was similar in many ways to Kenshin; he was a cold assassin – the creator of his own style: Furanui Kenjutsu. He was considered the most powerful of the Four Great Hitokiri of the Bakamatsu era. His Battou-jutsu stance was different – with his right leg out slightly bent and his left leg bent under him resting on his knee. Overall, it was a low position but very fast. Apparently, he was not as skilled as Kenshin in Battou-jutsu, but more than likely, he chose to master a particular technique. The Meiji government later killed him._

_(A/N: Can you see all the research?)_

"It seems like our dear Himura has something on his mind . . . a woman possibly? It's about time you started indulging in some manly pleasures. Would you like me to ask Takasugi to send you a prostitute?" Kawakami said, with a cold chuckle.

"Shut up and get lost," was Kenshin's cold response.

  The two Hitokiri were similar in almost every possible way. They both carried the icy demeanor of a powerful murderer. Despite their 'disagreements' which was only how they normally spoke to each other, they understood each other. Only an assassin would know the pain of being a murderer . . . only an assassin would suffer the pain of the bloodlust. Only an assassin would know how to interact with another in that cold manner. 

The pain was their own to carry.

Another slow chuckle

Kawakami left the red-haired assassin to his training and his thoughts.

**Shin no Kage's POV**

_'Must kill that demon!"_Kaoru screamed in her mind while she stabbed at an imaginary opponent.

Two strong assassin qi were nearing

She turned her back to the rustling sound, facing the river

Kaoru's senses instinctively sharpened. She listened intently, her hand at her katana.

Two figures entered the clearing

  One was a tall wolf-like man who wore a serious expression and didn't look like one to play around with. The other, was obviously younger. He was shorter than the other was and had a pleasant smile on his face. They were both clad in the Shinsengumi uniform and wore katana at their waists.

_'The wolves of Mibu,'_ Kaoru thought.

_'Interesting . . .'_ the taller one mused, _". . . I feel a warrior's spirit emanating from this woman,' _he shot a knowing glance at his companion who only nodded.

"Tell me, what is your name," the shorter one asked, acknowledging Kaoru.

"Kamiya Kaoru, also known as Shin no Kage," was her curt response, "What does the Shinsengumi want of me?"

"Straight to the point, just like the rumors say" the taller of the two said while lighting a cigarette.

Kaoru glared at him.

"The Shinsengumi leaders are in search of recruits for squad leaders and members. Having the legendary Shadow of Death on the side of the Shinsengumi would be an honor," the shorter one replied with a smile, "Oh, forgive my manners, I am Okita Soushi, leader of the first squad of the Shinsengumi and this is Saitou Hajime, leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi," he said with a small bow.

"Honestly . . . resorting to a woman to help the most powerful group of the Bakamatsu. I wouldn't hear of it," Saitou scoffed.

Kaoru was beginning to hate this man by the second but she kept in. She threw him another glare and turned to Okita.

"So . . . *Kondo Isami, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishigi, Hijikata Toshizou and Yamanami Keisuke are looking for recruits? If I join the Shinsengumi, will I be allowed to kill the Battousai?" she asked defiantly.

_Note: *Kondo Isami, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishigi, Hijikata Toshizou and Yamanami Keisuke were the masterminds behind the Shinsengumi – the most powerful group of the Bakamatsu era_

Saitou exhaled a puff of smoke.

_'She knows much about the Shinsengumi. We are fortunate she isn't against us . . . we are also fortunate to have her against Hitokiri Battousai. If she sided with Choshu we wouldn't even be standing here,'_ Okita noted, _'She is a fine assassin, the Shin no Kage works alone . . . with no companions. Her assets are amazing'_

"You will be assigned a victim, but with your skills, you just may be chosen to kill Battousai. Okita and I will more than likely not get the honor of slaying the Battousai because the Ishin knows our styles and this information has been memorized by all Choshu assassins," Saitou said, flicking ash from his cigarette.

"Hai, Saitou-san is correct. Our leaders will probably give you the assignment because you have kept yourself in the shadows and no one knows what you look like," Okita replied.

"Show me the way," Kaoru said, making up her mind.

"Come with us," Okita said, beckoning her.

_'This is my chance to kill him, avenge Father's spirit, free my soul and bring an end to this insanity,'_ she thought to herself.

Okita and Saitou led her through the dark forest, to the Shinsengumi base – a remote place, up in the hills.

"You will be given a shinai and you will have to fight three members of the Shinsengumi. If you defeat all or two, the minimum, you will be recognized as a member," Okita explained quickly, leading her to a dojo.

She nodded, took off her sandals and stepped into the dojo after Okita.

  She saw five of the seediest looking bureaucrats she had ever seen in her life. A particularly evil looking man who was polishing an iron fan gave off a frightening aura. He was the infamous Serizawa Kamo.

  Okita had some Shinsengumi members clear a sparring mat and he quickly set up the area for the match. He signaled to a medium-height man to come up to the sparring area. Okita whispered something in his ear and the man nodded.

"Kamiya-san, at the present, only Takeda is here and there is Saitou. Your first match will be against Takeda and then Saitou. I will be the referee. You are allowed to combine any sword or hand-to-hand combat style. Clean fights are not of significance in the Shinsengumi. The mat is free for whatever you want to do. Your matches will be out of three rounds each. Good luck," Okita explained to Kaoru as he handed her a shinai.

(A/N: I am not altogether sure about the whole 'clean Shinsengumi fight' thing but I put it there. The Shinsengumi's motto: 'Slay Evil Immediately' makes it sound all good and everything but many in Kyoto hated the Shinsengumi because they killed suspicious looking people who couldn't state their name, Han and reason for being where they were so *shrug*) 

_Note: 1. – Takeda Kanryuusai, in reality was the leader of the fifth squad of the Shinsengumi. He was a Military Strategist and was a bully. He was a traitor to the Shinsengumi and sided with the Ishin. Saitou assassinated him. The Takeda Kanryu in the Rurouni Kenshin series was patterned after him. _

_Note: 2. – The 'entrance exam' to be a Shinsengumi member was a shinai fight. The first opponent could have been anyone, but the second opponent was usually a more experienced fighter – usually Saitou. Okita was always the referee._

She nodded in understanding.

  Kaoru took off her wrist-guards and her katana. She handed them to Okita and gripped the shinai, feeling its familiar weight. It reminded her of her own shinai, when she was a little girl, training and aspiring to be the best fighter she could be.

She stepped onto the mat; all eyes were on her.

Okita signaled for the match to begin.

Kaoru and Takeda both stepped up to the marker and their eyes met.

They bowed to Okita and then to each other.

The sharp screech of the whistle echoed through the room.

Even after the whistle was blown, the two stood there – neither moving, observing each other's energy.

  With a sudden burst, Takeda thrust out, Kaoru foresaw it and easily sidestepped it. As the larger man spun around and charged with his shinai to her throat, she saw this and blocked just in time, the clashing of the wooden swords reverberated through the now-silent room. All eyes were on the sparring mat.

Her blue eyes narrowed in concentration and strategy.

_'Feh, this match is as good as done. Hmm . . . maybe I should give him a chance,'_ Kaoru thought to herself as she dodged another fervent blow.

Takeda charged another attack, noting his opponent's sudden stillness, hoping to get a point. To his surprise, the girl didn't block his attack.

"Point! Takeda!" Okita barked, whipping out a flag.

He seized the opportunity to lay another blow and again to his surprise, she didn't block.

"Point! Takeda!" Okita barked again.

Just as he was to lay his third blow and claim the title of winner, he saw a devilish smirk play on his opponent's lips. Her eyes were a cold, steely blue.

_'You are allowed to combine any sword or hand-to-hand combat style. Clean fights are not of significance in the Shinsengumi'_

Kaoru grabbed the shinai from Takeda with a speed and suddenness no one would have suspected. Twisting it out of his grip, she flipped it around to have both shinai pointing at him. She slashed after him with the swords to his throat and delivered a swift roundhouse kick to his jaw that sent him staggering. A trickle of blood ran down his chin from his lip.

"Two points! Kamiya!"

Kaoru didn't wait any longer; she slashed after him with one sword, laying a blow on his shoulder. With the other sword, she brought it up to a vertical strike; however, she didn't hit him. She used the air pressure to cut him.

"Winner! Kamiya!" Okita barked.

This announcement had the bureaucrats stroking their stubbly chins and eyeing the young girl intently.

Whispers broke out among Shinsengumi spectators.

Saitou spat out his cigarette butt. He caught the shinai that a crestfallen Takeda tossed to him.

He walked up to the mat and glared at her. They both bowed to Okita and faced each other.

A/N: Haha! That's a wrap! Cliffy! What's gonna happen? Do you like what I did, making Kaoru a bad, kick-ass assassin? Review!!

Reviewer Responses:

- the squirrel: *smiles* hope you keep reading this fic

- Britannie Love: you know I love your reviews, I am so glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you liked this one too!

- kik-ting: I'm glad you like my idea! Everyone usually writes lovey sappy stuff . . . not that that's a bad thing but still, I like having something different

- hieiandbotan4ever: Love the name dude! Glad you like it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter

- Mika: Yes, the cruel and evil Hitokiri ^^

- leo hime san: Thanks P! I'm guessing you don't see this type of fic everyday

A/N: Well, this chapter was fun to write. I gotta go y'all. Remember:

*~*~*~*~Click That Button*~*~*~*  
  
Black Chiney


	5. Chapter Four

AVENGEMENT

Disclaimer: I do not own. You may not sue. That said; here is new chapter.

A/N: You guys must want to rip out my throat for taking so long to update. I've been real busy these days, so much stress . . . school, cadet, my brother just had a daughter *sharp intake of oxygen* and I could go on forever but then if I did, what am I writing this fic for? *wide smile* here is the long awaited chapter four:

**-Chapter Four-**

~*~*~*~*~

_Whispers broke out among Shinsengumi spectators._

_Saitou spat out his cigarette butt. He caught the shinai that a crestfallen Takeda tossed to him._

_He walked up to the mat and glared at her. They both bowed to Okita and faced each other._

~*~*~*~*~

Once again, the sharp screech of Okita's whistle sounded through the now-silent room

All eyes were on the mat

This match would determine if the legendary Shadow of Death would be the newest member of the Shinsengumi. Who could afford to miss this?

A fierce battle aura encircled the two opponents. Just as in the previous fight with Takeda, she crouched, observing Saitou.

Icy, blue eyes narrowed in silent scrutiny . . . 

Carefully . . . 

Swiftly . . . 

His yellow eyes swept over her stance, a slight smirk formed at his lips.

With a rapid burst of energy, Saitou charged towards her, the tip of his shinai pointed at his throat. Kaoru swung her bamboo sword to block it. The echo of wood on wood reverberated through the room. With a rage, he made a comeback so swift, only three people knew what was going on, Saitou, Okita and Kaoru. 

Suddenly, a man dressed in black, bounded and bleeding badly was shoved through the shoji.

All eyes were now on the bloody man.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" said a low voice; a voice belonging to none other than Serizawa Kamo.

His dark, beady eyes swept over the man before him.

"Serizawa-san, before you decide my fate, please," whimpered the man, "Let me explain"

Serizawa's cold, calculating eyes flashed menacingly. The leader of the Shinsengumi turned his face away from him and looked off into the distance. His fingers ran over the smooth, cold, sharp blades of his fan.

_'Serizawa-san eh? Feh . . . this punk looks so pathetic. I should throw this fan straight through his throat'_

"Give me one good reason why I should let you live"

"If you let me live, the Shinsengumi can overpower the Ishin Shishi"

"What's that punk? How can someone as weak and puny as you possibly help Bakufu's Shinsengumi reign over the Ishin's Choshu?" said a now-interested Serizawa.

_Note: In real history, Yamazaki Susumu was the head of the spies within the Shinsengumi. I decided that the Shinsengumi would really need spies so I'm like 'what the hey,' toss Yamazaki in the plot_

"I know how Choshu works"

Serizawa quirked one thick, black eyebrow at this

"How would you know?"

"I am an ex-Choshu spy . . . the Ishin attempted to assassinate me because they thought that I wasn't telling them all I knew about you. They used one of their inferior assassins, he thought I was dead with the first stab but I am skilled in dragon breathing. Choshu has lost their best spy and I must take revenge"

_Note: Dragon breathing is the skill of holding one's breath for an abnormally long time. It is attained by constant practice, which strengthens the lungs. It is very helpful, especially when one desires to live and has to pretend to be dead. It slows down the pulse rate as well since the oxygen must not go to waste. However, if it is done for too long, it results in death or serious coma._

"Spy . . . tell me your name," said Serizawa, running his fingers over the dull edges of his fan.

"Yamazaki Susumu, ex-Choshu spy"

"Welcome to the Bakufu's Shinsengumi"

The ex-Choshu spy did a short bow

"What are you waiting for? Get him some bandages! Clean up those wounds! Shinsengumi will reign over Choshu, we have ourselves the Shin no Kage and the best spy!" yelled an infuriated Serizawa to the medical practitioners.

At this, a mad scramble of Shinsengumi warriors rushed to get Yamazaki to get medical attention before they could face the wrath of Serizawa. No Shinsengumi fighter . . . or person for the matter liked Serizawa in the first place, much less his anger.

"Saitou! Forget the match! We don't need to test the Shadow of Death"

Saitou ground his teeth and mentally cursed Serizawa.

"Well then, Kamiya-san, let me show you to your new quarters," said an ever-smiling Okita.

Kaoru merely picked up her katana and wakizachi, nodded and followed him.

A/N: NOOO! DON'T KILL ME!! I know it's late, please forgive me for the overly late update, and I'm so sorry about the length of it too. All that waiting for a mere three pages, don't worry – when I do get time, I will give you long, nice, interesting chapters. The thing is, when do I get time?


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